Monday, August 16, 2010

The Minutes

Decisions made this week at Toronto city hall.
Mayoral pay debate postponed
The issue of whether the mayor of Toronto deserves a pay raise will be decided by David Miller’s successor.
The executive committee voted Monday to let the next council deal with the controversial subject.
In 2006, council asked an outside consultant to considers the salaries of both councillors, who make $99,620 annually, and the mayor, who makes $167,769 annually.
Last week, the Hay Group released its report, which cost taxpayers $50,000. The company declared the mayor deserved an additional $16,000 in pay, while councillors’ salaries should remain the same.
The idea was to have the issue settled before the fall election. And since every one of the leading mayoral candidates has indicated he or she would not take a pay increase, it seems the issue is dead in the water.
Ski hills saved
The executive committee has unanimously voted to keep the ski and snowboard slopes at Centennial Park and Earl Bales Park open this season.
A staff report had recommended closing the hills, which operate at a loss of about $600,000 annually, after attempts to attract a private bidder to run them failed.
City council had previously voted to cut the hills from the budget to save about $150,000 this year and $450,000 next season. A request for proposals was issued to find an outside company to run and manage the facilities.
On Monday, Councillor Janet Davis asked if the city wanted to create a situation where “only rich kids” get to enjoy snow sports.
Davis suggested the surprise 2009 surplus be used to cover costs from this year, and projected losses for 2011 be included in next year’s parks and recreation estimates.